Typical Production Sequence for

Marcellus Shale Gas Operations

1. Site preparation: clearing, road, grading, gravel, drainage
2. Drill rig move, set up; Drilling operations; remove rig
3. Hydraulic fracturing; sand kings, frac pumps, sand cans
4. Completions; condensate and brine tanks
5. Gas processing on well pads
6. Pipelines and Compressor
7. Compressors and Gas Processing Plants

What we see on the roads tells

us what is occurring on the well pads.

Index to Photographs Displaying the Exploration and Production

process at Shale Gas well sites and on road equipment required.
Section Number
1. IntroductionTypical Production Sequence of Shale Gas
2. Well pad site preparation and earth moving equipment
3. Drilling vertical and horizontal well sections
4. Well casing installation; cementing during drilling
5. Completions: Hydraulic fracturing process; general overviews
6. Frack tanks; AKA500 barrel wheelies; water storage tanks; water impoundments
7. Hydraulic fracturing pumps; mixers; examples from different sub-contractors
8. Sand delivery and storage; sand kings; sand cans; sand castles
9. Fracturing chemicals; delivery, trucks and totes
10. Wells put into production; flaring; well heads; storage tanks on well pads
11. Well pad completed; gas & liquid separators; Vapor recovery units; gas processing
12. Miscellaneous and multipurpose trucks and equipment
13. Pipelines and compressors
14. Waste disposal process and trucks
Assembled by Bill Hughes, Wetzel County, WV ----- Feb. 16, 2015

3 score + ten

SITE PREPARATION
Years before any dirt is moved to construct a well pad, a great deal
of courthouse research has occurred to lease mineral rights, locate
surface owners, survey a well pad and access road, and negotiate
terms of surface damages.
Arrangements will be made to acquire and store the huge amounts
of water. This storage must be convenient and close by.
Well pad areas might range between 4 and 25 acres disturbed.
Timber will be cut and pushed out of the way; stumps removed.
It is only for site prep that large earth-moving equipment is needed.
Once the site is leveled, hundreds of dump trucks will bring the
rocks that will provide the foundation for the well pad.

Notice size for comparison in next few slides

Heavy Equipment
for Well Pad Work
NOTE:
A Red circle
will surround some of this
big equipment on some of the following well pad
site prep photographs

Photo by Skytruth

NOTES:
THE NEXT GROUP OF SLIDES SHOWS THE BEFORE AND AFTER OF WELL PAD
CONSTRUCTION SITE PREPARATIONS AND THEN WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AFTER THE
WELL PAD IS COMPLETE.
1. Slide 10 + 11 are the Gastar pad in Wetzel County.
2. Slides 12 + 13 + 14, show the Triad Hunter Ormet 2 well pad in Monroe County, in
Eastern Ohio. Slide 11 is site prep; 12 is pad done; 13 shows drilling on the pad.
3. Slide 15 + 16 + 17 show same before and after and in use for Stone Energy Pad 3,
in Lewis Wetzel Wildlife Management Area.
4. Slides 18 + 19, same for Stone Energy Bowyers pad in western Wetzel county.

Beginning site preparation for small Gastar well pad

See next slide

Almost Finished Gastar

well pad in Wetzel County

Site construction for Triad Hunter Ormet pad in

Eastern Ohiosee next two photos

Triad Hunter Ormet pad done

Triad Ormet pad drilling

Drill Pad Site Clearing

Stone Energy Pad 3 LWWMA

Stone Energy Pad 3 LWWMA

Stone Energy Pad 3

Photo by Sky Truth

Wetzel County Stone Energy Bowyers Pad

Wetzel County Stone Energy Bowyers

Pad

Wetzel County Stone Energy Bowyers Pad

Assorted Dump Trucks Hauling Gravel to Well Pads

20

More Gravel to Well Sites

Google Earth Photo of site preparation in Wetzel Co.

Total min. disturbed area = 8.2 acre of land

650Ft.
550 Ft.

Antero Well pad in Doddridge County, WV

By Google Earth

800 Ft.

850 Ft.

Antero Pad in Tyler County WV by Google Earth

1750 Ft.

1200 Ft.

Typical Well Pad

Appearance
Ready for drill Rig

25

This Equipment is used to drill the large diameter hole

needed to set the conductor pipe on the well pad

Mar -04-2010

Dec 17, 2010

Vertical and Horizontal Drilling

There are a number of options for drilling on a shale gas well pad. These include:
Just drill enough (one well) to lock in the lease and move on to your next well pad
Drill just the vertical portions of all proposed wells first with a smaller drill rig, drilling
down to the KOPkick-off-pointwhere the curved section will begin
Then follow up with a much larger drill rig capable of drilling the turn to horizontal
and the full length of the horizontal bore
Bring in a big drill rig to begin with and drill every well complete , vertical and
horizontal
With every strategy, there is always the option to come back on the well pad later
and drill more wells, if the lease-hold (acreage) is large enough, either into the same
formation, or drill into deeper formationsall from the same well pad.

Comparison of Vertical Drilling Rig and Horizontal Drilling Rig

The photos here were taken 6 weeks apart
from approximately the same location.
Perspective is not exact. However, using the
red line under the mail boxes for reference,
the size difference between the two types
of drill rigs is obvious.

Vertical Drill Rig

Horizontal Drill Rig

Drill Rig at Work

Drill Rig at Work

Drill Rig at Work

Drilling---large rig

Stone Pad 3 Drilling in Progress

Bowyers Pad in Western Wetzel County, WV

20 inch well casing being installed

24 Inch Drill bit for 20 Inch well casing

for Utica Well, in Wetzel County WV

Flaring During Drilling

Monroe County, Ohio

Drilling in Monroe County, Eastern Ohio

Part of Savanna Drill Rig 654 going to well pad

Drill Rig Parts

41

Drill Rig Parts Leaving a Chesapeake Well Pad

Drill Rig Parts Leaving a Chesapeake Well Pad

Set up of Savanna 654 Drill Rig on EQT

Well Pad, Wetzel County

Centrifuge separation technology used on Drill Pad

Separation of Drill cuttings into red tub
Rich, black drill cuttings
from the horizontal
bore in the Marcellus
Shale formation.

Roll-off boxes hauling drill cuttings to the landfill

Portable Crane used to set up drill rig on well pad

Well Casing and Cementing

Considerations on the Cementing of Well Casings.
The reassuring statements by the shale gas industry about multiple layers of steel
and cement being used in and around well casings is actually a TRUE statement.
The problem is the extremely long distance of a very thin layer of cement. At most
1.5 inches and thousands of feet deep and it must be perfectly centered in the well
bore for the entire length.
Very difficult to inspect later and repair. Steel will eventually rust. Cement will crack.
Permanent bonding of cement to both well bore and casing is extremely critical.
Keep this sidewalk in mind. The thick
concrete here was more that likely
poured in good weather; good visibility;
reinforcing mesh or re-bar likely was
used; allowed to cure for many days or
longer. Even under good conditions--CEMENT CRACKS

Well Casing Pipes for Drilling Process

Photo by Ed Wade Jr.

13 inch Well Casing and Drill Rod

Drill Rod

Drill Rod

Thirteen Inch
Well Casing
Made in Canada

20 inch well casing

This 20 inch well casing is for a

new Utica formation well in
Wetzel County WV. 1275 feet of
it will be installed into the well
bore.

Twenty Inch
Well Casing

Twenty Inch
Well Casing

Well Casing

Drill Rod
Not Well Casing

Cement trucks for well casing

The leading truck is a cement pumping truck

Schlumberger Cement Trucks going to Drilling site

Schlumberger Cement Trucks going to Drilling site

Halliburton Cement Trucks going to Drilling site

Halliburton Red Tiger cement mixing and pumping truck

Cementing Casing
on Drill pad in
Wetzel County, WV
Trucks
Carrying Cement

Cement pumper

Baker Hughes Cement Truck

Baker Hughes Cement Pumper

Baker Hughes Cementing casing on Wetzel County Well

Hydraulic Fracturing Equipment

After drilling is done the well pad is cleared off

Some fluid storage tanks might be left on pad
Well heads prepared to accept frack hardware
Sand kings put in place to store sand
12-18 Fracturing pumps are moved onto the pad
Fracturing chemical tanks arranged
Crane used to hold perforation gun
Start running sand cans to deliver sand

Wetzel County Stone Energy Bowyers Pad

6 Wells on pad
Drilled, not fractured yet

Wetzel County Stone Energy Bowyers Pad

Hydraulic Fracturing in process

Wetzel
Wetzel County
County Stone
Stone Energy
Energy Bowyers
Bowyers Pad
Pad

Hydraulic Fracturing in process

Hydraulic Fracturing in process

Wireline Control truck

Portable cranes

Control House

Portable Office

Top Left

Liquid storage tanks also called 500 barrel wheelies

Each holds 500 barrels X 42 gal/bar = 21000 gal. per
tank; 13 Tanks X 21,000 = 273,000 gallons.

Hydraulic Fracturing in progress

Hydraulic
Fracturing
in process
Using 15 Fracturing
Pumps

Hydraulic Fracturing
in process
Another
Frac

Aug. 13, 2010

in process

Hydraulic Fracturing in process

Oct. 26, 2013

Hydraulic Fracturing in process

Silica Dust being released

A Wireline Control Truck will be used

on every Hydraulic Fracturing project.

Wireline Control Truck

Water Storage and Delivery for Fracturing

The largest need for water is during the actual hydraulic fracturing
stage. There are at least three ways for drillers to get the required
amount of water-- 4-6 million gallons

1. Pipe it in from a large, high-volume nearby source

2. Construct a freshwater holding pond near the well
pad
3. Or use Temporary or semi-permanent storage
tanks. The tanks might be the common frac tanks,
aka 500 barrel wheelies; or round, shark tanks. All
these tanks are shown in the next few slides.
Temporary transfer pumps will withdraw any water possible from any
small stream or creek, and miles of plastic piping will be run to fill every
holding pond and tank.

Shown is one, typical, 500 barrel wheelie, going to a well pad. These are always
moved empty. They are not made to carry any weight. Best to refer to them as liquid
storage tanks. When seen in use, on a well pad, it is difficult to know what might be in
them. A common label is also, frack tanks They can be used for fresh water;
brine; condensate; flowback; drill mud; fracturing fluids; or a witchs brew of
everything. Companies pay extra to get certified clean to use for just fresh water.

These tanks were part of a centralized water management

plan. Much of the water initially came from the Ohio River.

Water storage tanks for high pressure testing of pipelines

Thirty or more 500 barrel tanks

Frac Tanks---500 Barrel Wheelies

NOTE: This type of tanks will never have much liquid in them when being moved on the
road. The small wheels are only capable of carrying the empty weight of the metal box.
When full and in use, they will be resting on the ground as shown above.

Frac Tanks---500 Barrel Wheelies

Frac Tanks---500 Barrel Wheelies

Very Clean--new

Frac Tanks---500 Barrel Wheelies

Very Dirty on Well Pad

Frac Tanks---500 Barrel Wheelies

Frac Tanks---500 Barrel Wheelies at an EQT Well Pad

Only about 6 of these tanks were put here for the drilling operations.

Above is the ground-level,

side view of two round
shark tanks for holding
fresh water within a larger,
lower containment tank.
An aerial view of the two
taller shark tanks within
the containment tank is
shown to the left.

More permanent water storage tank for a centralized water system.

Temporary Fresh Water Storage for pipeline pressure test

Empty tanks being stored on well pad

Temporary Water Transfer Pumps

Construction of Large Fresh Water Holding Pond

Same holding pond as seen above

Fresh Water Pond to be used for Fracturing Water

Holding Pond, adjacent to a well pad, for

a witchs brew of unknown, mixed fluids.

Most likely a fresh water holding pond

Well pad with holding pond. It had been fresh.

Now very contaminated after Statoil Fire

For additional information on Statoil Fire see FracTrackers web site.

Holding Pond at Well Site

Hydraulic Fracturing Equipment

Some hydraulic fracturing contractors
include: Halliburton; Baker-Hughes;
Schlumberger; Weatherford; Frac-Tech
Services; GoFrac; US Well Services; Nabors
Well Service; PumpCo; Keane; among
others.
Each fracturing contractor will also provide
most of the other equipment required for
the frack job, such as sand kings; mixers,
wireline truck; and control center.

Halliburton Fracturing Pumps on site

Diesel Fuel
Supply

Halliburton Blenders

Halliburton Q-10 Fracturing Pumps

Halliburton Q-10 pumps in use

Fracturing
valves and
piping
assembly
mounted on
top of well
head ready for
the highpressure
fracturing
plumbing

Fracturing valves
and piping
assembly mounted
on top of well head
ready for the highpressure fracturing
plumbing
The frack head is
wrapped to keep heat
in. Notice the portable
heater to the right.
This was being done in
winter. The nylon wrap
is to keep the pieces
from flying off in case a
pipe bursts .

Weatherford Mixer-blender

15 Fracturing
Pumps at work

14 Schlumberger Fracturing Pumps

Halliburton Auxiliary Support Trucks

Pipe hardware for a frack job

Fracturing Pumps

Fracturing Pump

Fracturing Pump

Fracturing Pump: stuck in neighbors front yard

Fracturing Pumps and support equipment and hardware crane truck

Fracturing Pumps

 This section will show the tractor-trailer trucks

used to transport sand to the Hydraulic
Fracturing site well pad. They are called Sand
Cans; many look very similar.
Also shown will be the very large Sand Kings
which are used to store sand while on site.
Special, solar-powered, vertical sand storage
containers made and used by Halliburton,
called Sand Castles are also shown.

Typical Sand Can delivering sand to a well pad.

Typical Sand Can delivering sand to a well pad.

Sand Can on ice and snow with no chains on tires

Typical Sand Can returning from a well pad.

A days worth of sand trucks waiting to go to the well pad

Sand Cans at Chesapeake Staging Area

Sand Cans at Stone Energy Staging Area

Sand Kings

Stored or parked Sand King---not in use. When in use, the

tires will not be on the ground. The large pads in front
and rear will be hydraulically lowered to hold the huge
weight of the stored sand.

Four Sand Kings in use

Typical Hydraulic
Fracturing Project

1
2

Sand King on the road en route to Hydraulic Fracturing Site

NOTE: The numbered compartments are divided internally to identify

what grain size of sand is available and which needs to be replenished

Sand King

Sand King

Sand Castles are

vertical sand storage
tanks made by
Halliburton.
And, yes, they are
solar powered.
These are in use on
EQT site in
Wetzel Co. WV

Sand Kings on Hydraulic Fracturing Site

NOTE: The diesel fumes are

from frac pumps running
behind the sand kings.

Silica dust from Sand Kings being filled up during a fracturing project

Fracturing Chemicals
Tanker trucks with Hydrochloric Acid DOT 1789
Fracturing chemicals in single plastic totes
Tractor trailers filled with fracturing chemicals

Hydrochloric Acid Tanker

Being pulled up hill

1789

137

Hydrochloric Acid Tanker

Hydrochloric Acid Tanker

Hydrochloric Acid Tanker

Truckloads of Fracturing Chemicals

Completed Well Pad, Ready for Production

After flowback and flaring is complete, the well pad
is cleaned off.
Storage tanks are provided for Condensate, also
called NGL or Natural Gas Liquids. This is a very
explosive, volatile liquid.
Tanks are also placed on the well pad for Brine, also
called produced water.
The well heads are finished and connected to the
separators, gas processing units, and the storage
tanks.
Sometimes wireless sensors and telemetry is used to
monitor pressure at well head and on tanks.

Flaring after Fracturing is done

Storage Tank on way to well pad

Storage Tank on way to well pad

Very Antique storage tanks on well pad

These tanks were actually still in use July, 2014; Tyler County, WV*
*However their warranty had expired

The Dangers of Condensate Storage Tanks

Materials that will rapidly or completely vaporize

at atmospheric pressure and normal ambient
temperature, or that are readily dispersed in air
and that will burn readily. By NFPA

Condensate and Brine Storage Tanks on Well Pad

Condensate and Brine Storage Tanks on Well Pad

Wireless Pressure
Transmitters

Storage Tanks Marked Brine Only on Well Pad

Condensate and Brine Storage Tanks on Well Pad

Condensate and Brine Storage Tanks

Well Pad Storage Tanks

Using White Plastic Pipes to Capture the Explosive, Flammable Vapors

Tyler County, WV

Condensate and Brine Storage Tanks on Well Pads

Condensate and Brine Storage Tanks on Well Pad

Well Heads with wireless

pressure transmitters
mounted on top

Wireless Pressure
Transmitter

Well Heads in Production

Well Head in production

NOTE:
If you are looking for
a shut off valve in a
hurry, just pick one.

Well Head in production

Newly painted Well Head

Well Head in production

NOTE:
If you are looking for
a shut off valve in a
hurry, just pick one.

 After the fracturing head is removed and the

production head is placed on the well head,
then storage tanks are put on the well pad.
These will hold produced water (brine) and
condensate (natural gas liquidsNGLs). Gas
Processing Units-- GPUs are then connected
by pipes into the well heads.
These GPUs are separators to separate the
raw gas into Brine, Condensate, and
somewhat dryer, Natural Gas.

One single separator and one dual separator.

Three wells on the pad.

Three Phase Separators

Two separatorsone for each well on the pad.

Dual Three Phase Separatorsfor two wells

Two separatorsone for each well on the pad.

Eight Gas Processing Units on completed well pad

Well pad compressor engine

Small compressor for Vapor Recovery Unit---Used to

draw gas vapors from storage tanks

Gas Processing Unit on well pad

Four Gas Processing Units on well pad

There are four vertical sand separators in front of the GPUs

Triethylene Glycol (TEG) Dehydration Unit on well pad

Typical Gas Production Units Left on All Well Pads

Solar Panels Can Be Seen on all Well pads

 Miscellaneous Trucks Include

Throughout the complete shale gas horizontal
exploration and production process, dozens of pieces
of equipment and hundreds of trucks are used for
many of the distinct steps.
These include: tanker trucks for fresh water, brine,
condensate, and diesel fuel; trucks for gravel; pipe
Mobile offices; dump-trucks; portable cranes; coiltubing trucks

Portable Office leaving well pad

Portable Office leaving well pad

Portable Crane used to set up Drill Rig

Portable Crane used

to set up Drill Rig

Not--So--Portable Crane

Coil Tubing Trucks

12-21-2010

Nitrogen Tanker Supply Truck used with Coil Tubing Service

Coil Tubing Truck

Coil Tubing Truck

Service Rig

Brine
tank
Truck
Watering Road--? or not

More Diesel Fuel Supply Tanker Trucks

More Diesel Fuelfor Fracturing Pumps

Diesel Fuel Supply Tanker

Tanker Truck Hauling

Natural Gas Liquids or Condensate

Condensate or NGLs are a very valuable product, not waste. These trucks are
required to have a DOT placard on them to provide a general idea of the product
category. Therefore the 1267 label.

This section will cover:

Pipe manifolds and assemblies on well
pads; pig launchers & receivers;
Installations on Pipeline rights-of-way
Compressor moves
Compressor stations
Gas processing facilities

Pig Launchers & Receivers

Launching & Receiving Chamber

The above chamber is designed to accept tubular, torpedo shaped devices which can be inserted into or
removed from the pipeline at either end point. Gas pressure is used to push it thru the pipe. They have
been called pigs for decades. A simple PIG will be used to cleanout debris, unwanted liquids or loose
scale. A Smart Pig, will carry on-board electronic sensors and data storage which will measure wall
thickness, distance and record everything for later analysis. It will look for defects like scale and corrosion
and pitting. The pipe layout and design must only use large radius elbows to allow unrestricted pig travel.

PIG Launching & Receiving Chamber

The above pipe manifold and valve assembly and PIG station is midway along a gas pipeline run. These assemblies
are also placed on some gas well pads and frequently at compressor stations and gas processing locations.

Assorted valve groups on small diameter gas gathering lines

Miles of Cross Country Pipeline

Pipeline Installations

Pipe for Pipeline Installation

Pipe for Pipeline Installation

Pipeline Installations

Pipeline Installations

Pipeline
Installations

Pipeline Installations

Pipeline Installations

42 Inch Pipeline Installation

42 Inch Pipeline Installation

Compressor move in Wetzel County

Small Compressor Station and Glycol Dehydration Location

Temporary Compressor Installation in Mobley, Wetzel County, WV

Two 4,700 HP compressors here

Small Compressor on Well Pad

Compressor move in Wetzel County

1,380 HP Compressor Engine

Compressor Move Second Half

Compressor move
in Wetzel County

Natural Gas Compressors in Wetzel County, WV

CHK Pleasants Compressor Station

Photo by Ed Wade Jr

Marcellus Drilling
Waste Products

Waste Products

from

Shale Gas Operations

Liquid waste such as produced water, (brine) and flowback

Sludges and semi-solids like tank bottoms
Concentrated (TENORM) material such as filter cake; filter socks and media
Solid (mostly) waste like drill cuttings

For over three decades geologists have known and routinely referred to the relatively high
radioactive content of the Marcellus Shale formation. It did not present a problem or threat to us
where it had been safety stored out of harms way for millions of years. We are now challenged to
dispose of this waste material since we have intentionally brought it to the surface...
.

NOW IT IS OUR PROBLEM

In the next few pages this very simplified overview of waste disposal issues will show
some examples of the equipment used to transport some of the waste products. All
the waste is categorized as RESIDUAL. It is left to the reader to define that term.
First, the liquids, moved by tanker trucks
Then, the solid types as in drill cuttings, via dump trucks or roll-off boxes.

No waste products whether liquid or solids from ANY shale gas operations, are ever
required to be labeled as toxic or hazardous or dangerous or harmful. Except for the Ohio
BRINE and UIC number, NO LABEL of ANY type is required when being transported on
public roadways. Therefore we have RESIDUAL + BRINE.

The Marcellus Shale

IS

Known to be Radioactive
BUT

We Do Not
WANT TO

Know How Much

Brine--Fresh--Residual

UIC Refers to the Underground Injection Control number

for the deep well injection of liquid waste in the State of Ohio

Residual ? ? Waste

Residual ? ? Waste

Brine
tank
Truck
Watering Road--? or not

FreshorBrineorFreshor Brine

Tanker Trucks
Removing
Produced Water
from Well
operations

The terms Produced

Water or Brine are
used interchangeably.
Ohio requires the
truck to have BRINE
and the UIC number
on the waste truck.

Tanker Truck at stream bank ? ?

Drill Cuttings on Drill Pad

Rich, black drill cuttings
from the horizontal
bore in the Marcellus
Shale formation.

On the way to Landfill

Drill Cuttings on Well Padgoing to landfill

Drill Cuttings on Well Padready for landfill

Rich, black drill cuttings

from the horizontal
bore in the Marcellus
Shale formation.

Roll-off box of drill waste going to landfill

Roll-off boxes of drill waste going to landfill

Dump trucks are also used to haul drill cutting

Drill Cuttings on Well Padgoing to landfill

Drill cuttings deposited at landfill

Radiation Detectors at Landfill Entrance

Process Flow
1. Well pad drill rig Drill cuttings Landfills
2. Moisture drains out becomes Leachate
3. Leachate shows radioactive levels of concern
4. Radioactivity cannot be filtered out
5. Leachate goes to water treatment plant
6. Effluent from water treatment plant goes
into Surface Streams and Rivers
7. Surface waterswater intakeDrinking Water